Billiard table

ABSTRACT

A table includes a bank and a panel, wherein a plurality of ball positions are evenly arranged into equilateral concentric hexagons in the panel, a bank is positioned around the panel, a plurality of holes are configured in the inner wall of the bank and in the board which is connected to the bank. During playing, players move their own balls to the target area by skipping, raising, hitting balls or throwing balls.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to an instrument for playing chess games,specifically relates to an instrument for playing chess games and ballgames which includes a table.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Most of current instruments for playing jumping chess and ball gamesonly have rather few functions and less combination forms, so they havea narrow application. It is difficult to manufacture products indifferent sizes with the same design concepts, using the samemanufacturing method by resizing. It is difficult to play games on themin the same mode even if they are manufactured. Moreover, it isimpossible to play Chinese jumping chess and ball games on a singletable.

A billiard table as exemplified in China utility model patent CN2298043Yhas rather few functions, in which no round pits or round apertures witha given depth are evenly arranged on the top of the table forpositioning balls, so you can only play ball games but can not playChinese jumping chess on it. Because no enclosure is provided around thetable, balls are likely to run out onto ground when you throw themtoward the holes or raising them over the table bank toward the holes.This makes it difficult to play games on it on the one hand, on theother hand, this may cause some safety problems. It is almost impossibleto play games by throwing balls or raising balls. Furthermore, it isdifficult to control the rebounds of the balls and to determine therebound angles of the balls because the inner wall of the bank is round.

Though a table described in China utility model patent CN2270536Y has ajumping chess board fixed on its back, the problem is that you can't usethe table to play ball games and use the board to play jumping chess atthe same time.

In addition, a billiard table disclosed in China utility model patentCN2203171Y has a top panel which can horizontally rotate around itscenter, but in its embodiments, only a technical scheme in which thetable can rotate around a bearing on the table support is disclosed, andthe table has only one support point, thus when a player hit a ball withthe support of the periphery of the table, the table will tilt to oneside, which will make the table and the moving of the balls instable.Moreover, it is impossible to make the table very large. Besides, in theembodiment, the table is rectangular, so it will interfere with playerposition when it is turned around.

Thus, the object of this invention is to provide a ball table, which canbe easily manufactured by resizing without affecting its functions, andcan function as a ball table and a chess table, therefore, it has wideapplication and can provide ease, safety and stability for playing.

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION

This invention provides a technical scheme to implement the objectdescribed above:

A ball table includes a bank, a panel and a board, wherein said toppanel is disposed on said board, a plurality of round pits are providedin said panel as ball positions, said ball positions are evenly arrangedinto hexagons layer by layer in said panel, said bank is positionedaround said panel and is higher than said panel, a plurality of holesare provided in said bank and said board which is connected to saidbank.

In said table, the distances between every two adjacent layers of saidball positions are all the same, and the distances between every twoball positions are all the same, the ball position on one vertex of theinner wall of the bank and its two adjacent ball positions form thevertexes of a equilateral triangle, said ball positions are evenlyarranged on the both sides of the midpoint of the line defined by twoopposing ball holes, the distances between each two symmetric said ballpositions and the center of entry surface of said hole are equal.

In said table, said panel is a horizontal plane layer made of elasticbuffer material, and said ball positions are arranged in this plane.

In said table, said panel is a step-like pane and has more than twolevels, and the ball positions near inner wall of said bank are higherthan the ball positions near the center of said panel, said ballpositions are arranged in the step-like panel, said panel is a layer ofelastic buffer material, said ball positions are down through holes withstraight wall in the layer of elastic material and said board.

In said table, an enclosure is disposed along the outer periphery ofsaid bank, said enclosure has one or more layers, the top of saidenclosure is a horizontal plane or a inclined plane inclining from innerto outer.

In said table, said enclosure has an upper layer enclosure and a lowerlayer enclosure, and the upper layer enclosure is wider than the lowerlayer enclosure, the inner wall of said upper layer enclosure is aninclined plane which tapers in width from top to bottom, a plurality oftarget areas indicating signs are fixed or engraved on the lower layerenclosure.

In said table, the outer wall of the enclosure is a circle or a polygonwhich has more than six sides, the inner wall of said enclosure is acircle or a dodecagon, the inner wall of said bank is a hexagon.

In said table, a table support is mounted under said board, a revolvingdisk is mounted between said board and said table support.

In said table, there are three parallel lines between every two mostouter ball positions near said bank, the distance between said two ballpositions is twice as much as the interval between said parallel linesconnecting the ball positions.

In said table, said bank and said board is a integral, said holesinclude curved belly surface and curved entry surface, the holes has asmall inlet and a large belly, said curved belly surface and curvedentry surface are formed respectively of circular surfaces withdifferent radii, said curved belly surface converges to said curvedentry surface smoothly.

1. Not only a bank and holes but also a plurality of ball positions areconfigured in said table which are round pits or round holes with givendepth and are evenly arranged into concentric hexagons, so the table hasmultiple functions. It can be used to play jumping chess games andplaying ball games at the same time. Moreover, it allows moreball-hitting techniques, and makes simple jumping chess games morevaried.

2. An enclosure is positioned along the periphery of the bank, it cansubstantially prevent the balls fallen on the bank from moving out ofthe table, this can facilitate throwing or raising ball.

3. Chessmen for almost all chess games except marble-jumping chess menare not spherical, and chessman positions are printed on a plane, so youcan't play ball games on it. Prior chess table for marble-jumping chesshas no bank which is needed to play ball games. Prior chess table formarble-jumping chess is hexangular, and it is hard to hit balls if abank is disposed along the periphery of the hexangular chess table.According to the present invention, a bank is disposed around thehexagonal panel, such that the angles formed by the inner walls of thebank are obtuse but not acute, the number of the inner walls of thetable bank is decreased. Ball positions 1 are arranged into hexagonlayer by layer, this makes the area of the chess table increased by ⅓than that of a hexangular table.

4. The outer periphery of the enclosure is a circle or a polygon whichhas more than six sides, this facilitates the rotating of the table andreduces the travel distance around the table with respect to arectangular rotating ball table described in patent CN2203171Y, this canalso speed up the games played by more than 3 players even if the tabledoes not rotate. The inner walls of the bank define an equilateralhexagon, this makes it easier to hit rebounding balls than in a tablewith a circular inner wall of the table bank.

5. With ball positions evenly arranged layer by layer, the player canaim at a ball according to or with reference to a line linking two ballpositions.

6. With ball positions evenly arranged layer by layer, regardless of thedirection in which a ball moves, as long as you hit the ball with thesame force and in the same way, the moving direction of the ball will bethe same.

7. With ball positions evenly arranged layer by layer, you can hit ballsand play gobang on the table, using balls you can also make up words orset up 3-D figures on it, so the table has many functions. When you onlyplay jumping chess on the table its chess board and chessmen will belarger than traditional ones, and you will have more fun.

8. With the ball positions arranged all over the table or in a series ofstep-like planes, you need to overcome the resistant force a ballposition exerted on the ball, when you hit the ball, this needs moretechniques of hitting ball and you will have more fun.

9. With the ball positions arranged all over the table, the ball willchange its moving direction once or many times unexpectedly because ofcontinuous resistance to the ball, this makes games surprisinglyenjoyable.

10. The ball positions 1 are pits with right wall, the angle formed bythe wall of a pit and the panel 11 is a right angle, because right anglewall inlet has less resistance to the balls than rounded one, so it iseasier to hit balls.

11. A rotating disk is disposed under the table, this makes it morestable during rotating the rotating disk than the table described inpatent CN2203171Y which has a bearing disposed under it, so using thepresent table the player can rotate the table to a convenient position,and when the table is near a wall of a room or the player plays in aseat, space can be saved.

12. Because balls are positioned on ball positions defined by roundpits, to some extent, the balls can maintain at their positions even ifthe table is tilted or vibrating, so the table can be used in a movingtrain.

13. The holes in a small-sized ball table are not holes through tableboard, so the ball table can be used as a common table when it is turnedover, or it can be formed as a double side ball table, for example, theother side can be a billiard table.

Using above ball table, players can determine playing method freelyaccording to the specific configuration of the table and ball movingrules during playing a game, this provides more fun and competition.

During playing a game, according to playing rules, each player moveshis/her same-colored balls from start area to target area, and playerscan use a skipping ball, such as jumping chess, raising ball, hittingball or throwing ball to move their balls, and the one who first movesall of his/her balls to target area is the winner.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a schematic view of a table according to the present invention

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along line A—A in FIG. 1, showing ahole with a bottom

FIG. 3 is a enlarged sectional view taken along line A—A in FIG. 1,showing a through hole

FIG. 4 is a schematic top view of the wall of the enclosure of a tableaccording to an embodiment of the present invention

FIG. 5 is a schematic view of a table with a rotating disk according toan embodiment of present invention

FIG. 6 is a schematic view of the inner wall of the enclosure of a tableaccording to an embodiment of the present invention

FIG. 7 is sectional view taken along line A—A in FIG. 1, where the backof table is also a panel

FIG. 8 is a schematic view of the surface configuration of a table holeaccording to the present invention

FIG. 9 is a schematic view of the configuration of a ball position withstraight wall

FIG. 10 is a schematic view of the configuration of a through hole ballposition with straight wall

PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS OF THIS INVENTION

Now the invention and its embodiments are further described inconnection with the drawings.

In FIGS. 1, 2, 5, 8 and 9, a table according to this invention includesa plurality of ball positions 1, a bank 2, an enclosure 6, the outerwall 4 of the enclosure, the inner wall 5 of the enclosure, ballposition connecting lines 7, ball position connecting bold lines 8,holes 9, the bottom 10 of ball holes, a panel 11, a board 12, a rotatingdisk 18, a rolling ball device 19, the upper rotating disk 20, elasticmaterial 21, the lower rotating disk 22, a curved entry surface 91 of ahole and a curved belly surface 92 of a hole.

In FIG. 3, an embodiment of table according to the present inventionfurther includes an upper enclosure 6′, a table board reinforcing frame13, a decorating board 14, ball net pressing iron loops 15, an innerwall 16 of the upper layer enclosure and a heightening board 17.

In FIG. 7, an embodiment of table according to the present inventionfurther includes back table panel 24.

Embodiment Example 1

The layers of ball positions 1 and the inner wall 4 of the bank can becircular, polygonal or other shapes, but a hexagon shape is mostpreferred because it can be used in both chess games and ball games.

The outer wall 3 of the enclosure can be circular, circularoid orpolygonal (for example, dodecagonal, hexagonal and decagonal). The outerwall 3 of the enclosure is preferred to be circular if the table isequipped with a rotating disk. Generally the outer wall 3 of theenclosure is the most outer periphery of a table. Its diameter can rangefrom 200 mm to 2200 mm, and it can be larger or smaller.

The inner wall 5 of the enclosure can be dodecagonal or circular, andcan be other polygonal.

The interval between adjacent ball positions depends on “the intervalbetween a midline and its adjacent parallel line”, and is called“interval of adjacent parallel lines” for short, the ratio of thediameter of the ball to the interval of adjacent parallel lines is about1:0.9 to 1:1.15, and it can be larger or smaller.

The ratio of the diameter of the ball to the diameter of the ballposition 1 is about 1:0.5 to 1:0.65, and it can be larger or smaller.

The diameter of the ball can range from 9 mm to 80 mm, and it can belarger or smaller.

“Number of parallel lines on the two sides of a midline” is called“number of parallel lines” for short, the number of layers in which ballpositions are arranged depends on the number of parallel lines. Thenumber of parallel lines can range from 16 to 32, and it can be largeror smaller.

The diameter of the outer wall 3 of the enclosure is the product of theinterval of adjacent parallel lines and the number of parallel lines andthe outer wall diameter coefficient.

The outer wall diameter coefficient is about 1.14 to 1.24, it can be asmaller value if the number of parallel lines is a large one, or it canbe a larger value if the number of parallel lines is a small one.

The distance between the inner wall of the bank and the“outer-circle-center-lines” is the product of the diameter of the balland the coefficient of the distance between the inner wall and the“outer-circle-center-lines”.

The coefficient of the distance between the inner wall and the“outer-circle-center-lines” is about 0.6 to 1.

The height from the panel 11 to the top plane of the bank is the productof the diameter of the ball and the coefficient of the bank height.

The coefficient of the bank height is about 0.6 to 0.9, it will be asmall value if the table has an enclosure 6.

The width of the hole 9 at the inner wall 4 of the bank where is thenarrowest of the hole is the product of the diameter of the ball and thehole inlet coefficient.

The hole inlet coefficient is about 1.18 to 1.45.

More holes can be provided in the bank 2 at both sides of the hole 9, ifit is needed.

The distance between the inner wall 5 of the enclosure and the back wallof the hole 9 is the product of the diameter of the ball and theenclosure-to-hole coefficient.

The enclosure-to-hole coefficient is about 0.6 to 2.

The height of the enclosure 6 is the product of the diameter of the balland the enclosure height coefficient.

The enclosure height coefficient is about 0.35 to 3, also can be alarger or smaller value.

The enclosure height coefficient can be a larger value if the table isfor playing in a standing posture.

As for heightening enclosure 6, overall heightening or part heighteningcan be used. Heightening-part can be mounted to each other by fixing,removable mounting and movable mounting, such as sliding, pivoting andinserting.

The enclosure 6 can be constructed into two or more layers for overallheightening enclosure 6. Upper layers enclosure 6′ can be wider than thelower layer enclosure. In FIG. 3, the inner wall of the upper layerenclosure 6 can be a inclined plane tapering in width from top tobottom, in order to reduce the probability of balls' running out of thetable. Because the balls can not contact to the lower layer enclosure,it is not necessary for the lower layer enclosure to be wrapped inelastic material. A plurality of target signs A can be positioned on thelower layer enclosure.

The height of the enclosure 6 is the same in a whole, but the sectionsof the enclosure 6 near the holes can be higher if it is needed.

The enclosure height coefficient can be a smaller value if the table isfor playing by raising ball, not throwing ball in a sitting posture.

Besides enclosure 6, a net or shelf can be fixedly or movably mountedalong the outer periphery of the table to block and receive running-outballs or store bats. The bank 2, the board 12 or the decorating board 14can work as a shelf if their diameters are increased such that theyextend beyond the outer periphery of the table.

A heightening board 17 can be disposed between the board 12 and thedecorating board 14 so that bats can be put on the decorating board 14.

Now, an example is given for further description, wherein the diameterof the ball is 30 mm and the number of lines parallel to midline is 20.The parameters which are not described above can be calculated accordingto this example.

The ball positions 1 of the most outer layer on the panel 11 arearranged into a hexagon. The 6 lines which connect respective center ofthe ball positions 1 of the most outer layer are called“outer-circle-center-lines” for short. The length of eachouter-circle-center-line is 360 mm. The diagonals of the hexagon formedby the 6 outer-circle-center-lines are called “table-diagonal” forshort. The distance between the inner wall 4 of the bank andouter-circle-center-line is 24 mm. The diameter of the outer wall 3 ofthe enclosure is 880 mm.

FIG. 1 shows the arrangement of the ball positions 1 on the panel 11.The hexagon formed by six outer-circle-center-lines can be divided into3 pairs of parallel outer-circle-center-lines the midpoint of every pairof the parallel outer-circle-center-lines is connected to form three“midlines” which are perpendicular to correspondingouter-circle-center-lines, then, 10 lines are respectively drawn on bothsides of the 3 midlines with an interval of 36 mm, which are parallel totheir midlines and intersect with their outer-circle-center-lines, afterthat, circles are drawn, which have a diameter of 16 mm and centers atall intersections except those at one of those only one line intersectswith the outer-circle-center-lines and at another one of those a midlineintersects with the outer-circle-center-lines within the hexagon formedby outer-circle-center-lines.

The thickness of the table board is 15 to 20 mm. The panel 11 is made ofone layer or many layers of elastic material, such as foam, rubber,leather, etc. The panel 11 is stuck to the board 12 and the smooth sideof leather is outward. Ball position is punched by a 16 mm diameter dieon the panel. The thickness of the panel 11 is the depth of the ballpositions, and the thickness of the panel 11 is 2.5 mm to 4 mm. Thethickness should be increased if balls have a larger diameter.

The ball positions 1 are round pits or round holes. Round pit ballpositions 1 have straight walls, that is, walls are perpendicular totheir bottom. Chamfered inlets of pits can also be used. Resistance tomoving balls will be greater if the inlets of the pits are chamfered, sothe inlets of the pits should not be chamfered or should be chamfered asslightly as possible.

A table having a small size can be made by plaster casting technique,wherein the board 12 can be thinner, and the ball positions 1 cantraverse through the board 12 to form a round aperture.

The bank 2 is 22 mm high. The cutouts of the holes 9 in the inner wall 4of the bank are 38 mm wide. The hole bottom 10 is lower than the panel11 by 8.5 to 13 mm. The holes 9 each can receive 1 to 4 balls, generally3 balls. In addition, a plurality of pits can be configured in the bankbetween the holes to store balls, and different signs can be provided atbottoms of pits.

For a table of a larger size, the holes 9 should traverse through thetable board 12, net-bags and net-bag pressing iron loops 15, or ballguiding tracks are disposed under the table board 12.

The enclosure 6 is 20 mm high.

Except the panel 11, the table can be made of wood, fiberboard, etc. itcan also be made by casting. The holes 9, the bank 2, the enclosure 6and the panel 11, to which balls can contact, should be wrapped inelastic material, leather, leatheroid and the like.

Embodiment 2

Referring to FIG. 4, the outer wall of the enclosure according to thisembodiment is a polygon which has more than six sides, all is the sameas embodiment 1 for the others.

Embodiment 3

Referring to FIG. 6, the outer wall of the enclosure according to thisembodiment is a circle, all is the same as embodiment 1 for the others.

Embodiment 4

According to this embodiment, a rotating disk 18 includes a upper diskand a lower disk, and they are made of plaster or other materials, acircular and embossed track or a ball bearing device 19 is positionedbetween the two disks. The two disks are connected by gripping jaws or abolt. The rotating disk 18 is positioned between the board 12 and thetable support. The ball table and the upper disk 20 can be cast as anintegral. Elastic material 21 which has friction is pasted on the disk18 which can be removed from the table. A flat panel is mounted on thetable support, and 4 to 8 gripping jaws are fixed on the flat panel tofasten the lower disk 22 to the panel. The lower disk 22 and the panelof the table support can be an integral. The diameter of the disk 18 islarger than the radius of the table. All is the same as embodimentexample 1 for the others.

Utility in Industry

According to the present invention, same standard tables with multiplefunctions can be easily made, sizes of which depend on playing space,and the operating effect is the same. The table can not only make themoving balls stopped stably at the ball positions of the tableeventually, but also can prevent balls from moving out of the table orjumping out of the bank, so games can be played continuously and safely.The table has many advantages, for example, it can save playing spaceand material for making it. The players can determine playing techniqueseasily according to the specific design of the table when players playgames, thus players will have more entertainment and competition.

What is claimed is:
 1. A game table comprising: a panel mounted on aboard, said panel comprising a plurality of sunken ball positions,wherein said ball positions are arranged evenly to define a plurality ofconcentric hexagons in said panel; a bank positioned along a peripheryof said panel and connected to said board, wherein said bank has agreater height than said panel; and a plurality of holes having portionsdefined by said bank and by said board.
 2. The table of claim 1, whereinsaid plurality of hexagons are equally spaced within said panel, andsaid plurality of ball positions are equally spaced within saidhexagons, wherein an equilateral triangle is formed by said ballposition at an intersection point of every two of a plurality of innerwalls of said bank and two of said ball positions located adjacent toeach other, said ball positions being symmetrically arranged on bothsides of a midpoint of a line which links two of said plurality of holeswhich oppose each other, wherein the distance between a center of two ofsaid ball positions and a center of a curved entry surface of any two ofsaid holes is the same.
 3. The table of claim 2, wherein said panel is ahorizontal plane layer made of an elastic material, and said ballpositions are arranged in said horizontal plane layer.
 4. The table ofclaim 1, wherein said panel further comprises: a buffer layer of elasticmaterial, wherein said ball positions are located in said elasticmaterial and said board; and a step-like plane comprised of at least twolevels, said ball positions being arranged in said step-like plane,wherein said ball positions located near an inner wall of said bank areat a greater height than said ball positions located near a center ofsaid panel, said ball positions being through holes having straightwalls in said panel.
 5. The table of claim 1, further comprising: anenclosure having at least one layer, located along an outer wall of saidbank, wherein said enclosure is at a greater height than said bank, anda top of said enclosure is one of either a horizontal plane or aninclined plane inclining from a bottom to said top.
 6. The table ofclaim 5, wherein said enclosure further comprises: an upper layerenclosure and a lower layer enclosure, said upper layer enclosure beingwider than said lower layer enclosure, wherein an inner wall of saidupper layer enclosure is the inclined plane tapering from a top to abottom, and a plurality of target area signs are one of either fixed orengraved on said lower layer enclosure.
 7. The table of claim 5, whereinan outer wall of said enclosure is one of either a circle or a polygonwith more than six sides, said inner wall of said enclosure is one ofeither a circle or an equilateral dodecagon, and said inner wall of saidbank is a hexagon.
 8. The table of claim 1, wherein a ball table supportis provided under said board, and a rotating disk is provided betweensaid board and said table support.
 9. The table of claim 1, whereinthree of a plurality of ball position parallel lines are located betweenevery two of said ball positions of an outermost layer near said bank,and a distance between every two of said ball positions located adjacenteach other is twice as long as a distance between said adjacent parallellines connecting said ball positions.
 10. The table of claim 1, whereinsaid bank and said board are integral, said holes, are comprised of asmall inlet and a large body that are formed by a curved belly surfaceand a curved entry surface, said curved belly surface and said curvedentry surface being formed respectively by a plurality of circularsurfaces with different radii, wherein said curved belly surface joinssaid curved entry surface smoothly.